The Agricultural Revolution Essay Example

The agricultural revolution, also known as the Neolithic revolution was the most important ingredient in human civilization. It was the switch from hunting and gathering to farming, and the domestication of plants to survive. The revolution was the starting of human society in that it formed and developed permanent settlements, government and laws, and the development of religious and cultural diversity. This revolution sparked cities and civilizations to thrive and allowed land to be not just a field of dirt but a key to survival. Food was a constant need. The hunters had to hunt for a days worth of food every day due to the lack of refrigeration. There were risks too. Food such as berries or plants could have been poisonous or the hunter could be killed by the hunted.

The Agricultural Revolution is earth-shattering in the course of history. It enabled early humans to develop and form permanent settlements and develop important technological advancements that we still use today. Because, of agriculture cities and civilizations grew. Before, the agricultural revolution early humans lived in tents that were easy to carry and move. They migrated with their food sources which required them to constantly be moving every time their food sources were low, this is the practice of hunting and gathering, this was their way of life. They lived in meager nomadic communities. Over, the course of many of thousands of years early humans started to develop better skills and a greater intelligence. Thus, caused the start of agriculture. When, agriculture was discovered it changed their lives forever. They now didn't have to move every time their food sources were low, because they now had crops and lands full of fruits, grains, plants, and many more that enabled them to survive, and in effect they settled in permanent shelters, and communities. In doing so came the ability to build fires and control them, which allowed them to make pottery, and dry out their clay for household usage to name a few. Once they established new stone tools that are more productive in the game of hunting, tools such as daggers, spears, spear points, scrapers for animal hides, to clean them to eat them and not get sick, and hand axes used to cut up the meat. They also decided to start domesticating the animals and breeding them which in return meant more food.

How Agricultural Revolution Impacts Society

Another important role in the Agricultural revolution was that it enabled early humans to develop and form government and laws for the first time. First, they stated creating languages to communicate to each other. For, example in ancient Egypt the Egyptians developed the means of writing through hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics is the style of writing that uses symbolic pictures to convey meaning. An example of how this is used pertaining to government would be the fact that when the government officials would die, their tomb is inscribed with hieroglyphics that describe major events in the government, their lives, and some laws and cultures. This lead to the formation of their economy. "The Egyptian economy was a barter system and not monetary. People paid taxes to the government in the form of crops, livestock, jewelry or precious stones. In return, the government maintained peace in the land, saved food in case of famine and conducted public works... The pharaoh was the ultimate authority in ancient Egypt, the vizier was the most powerful government official, viziers were second only to the pharaoh in power, and Egypt was divided into nomes, and a nomarch governed each one" (The Government of Ancient Egypt). The ancient Egyptians organized their government in a efficient way to where everyone had a role or a place and no one stepped out of line.

The Effect of Religion and Culture on Agricultural Revolution

The development of religion and culture was also an effect of the agricultural revolution. For, example in ancient Greece religion plays a major role in all of their aspects of life. They believe in gods and goddesses (such as Zeus the god of lightning, or Athena the goddess of wisdom). Their rituals includes but is not limited to animal sacrifices, libation, and myths to explain the origins of life. Cultures that were a great part of their lives included Greek mythology, temples where they believe their gods (each god has a temple) has lived or visited, and they worship these sacred sites.

In conclusion, the agricultural revolution was the starting of human society in that it formed and developed permanent settlements, government and laws, and the development of religious and cultural diversity. I have assimilated a lot of knowledge on the early ways of life of the early humans. I have learned what the agricultural revolution was and how it still affects us to this day from the things we eat, the laws we follow, the religions we practice, and the way we as citizens communicate and live together. I have learned a lot in this unit, and i have learned a lot about different cultures and early civilization. The agricultural revolution was earth shattering in the history of humankind.